Aviation industry: 'We're looking to get people back working again'

The aviation and travel industry has faced months of uncertainty caused by Covid-19. London Luton Airport, which itself has faced financial troubles caused by the pandemic, is hoping to attract people into the sector. What are the hopes of people working - and looking to work - in the industry?

As England faced repeated lockdowns, the owner of London Luton Airport found itself in need of a £119m support package from a council.

Luton Borough Council agreed to loan the money to the airport. Andy Malcolm, portfolio holder for finance, said if the loans were not agreed the council would have had to "sell its most valuable asset".

With air travel opening up again, the airport is looking to the future and hosted a jobs fair at its headquarters.

Employers including airlines and UK Border Force were on hand offering employment across a range of sectors including airport security, cabin crew, retail and hospitality.

Nik Jones, the airport's human resources director, said: " With air travel steadily resuming, now is the perfect time to consider a career in aviation."

He said the airport was "a major employer and economic driver for the wider region".

Student Oana Valean, a third year student of aviation and airport management, said she was "obviously interested to get a job in the airport".

"I'll be finishing my studying by the end of June so I'm planning to start full-time from then," she says.

"But until then, if I get a part-time job, that will be great.

"I'm very interested in border officer - I think this is what I would like to do. I'm dreaming of getting a job in there."

Glenda Lorenc is spending the day trying to attract potential employees to the company she represents - Apcoa Parking.

"We're looking for bus drivers," she says.

"With the airport reopening and flights getting back to normal, we're hoping to increase what we do again, because obviously we lost quite a few people through the lockdown - we had to make quite a few people redundant.

"We're looking to hopefully get those people back working again once the airports start getting back to normal."

"I was on furlough, then I got made redundant last November," says jobseeker Wendy Meadows, who worked for a security company.

"I've been looking for a job ever since."

She describes the current job market as "sketchy - very sketchy".

"But I haven't got a mortgage, I haven't got debts or anything, so I'm one of the lucky ones," she says.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]